Firstbase.com

Senior Marketing Manager

FranchiseFWD

Co-Founder

Soccer Skills Lab

Futrwrk.

Fractional CMO

ACE Kiosks

As a player/coach, I generated inbound sales opportunities with 200+ booked conversations. Achieved $1.2M+ in revenue growth. Boosted brand visibility and recognition, resulting in a 500% increase in website traffic and higher search engine rankings. Led forecasting, quota setting, pipeline management, sales training, and asset management for consistent revenue growth.

VP of Sales & Marketing

Buddy Punch

Sales hire as a player-coach for PLG startup wanting to grow ARR from $3M + primarily upmarket into Enterprise. Primary focus was to grow conversion for large segmentation ARR deals from  20% to 30%+

Sales Director

Akerna Corp. 

Oversaw B2G and B2B Small Medium Business units at Akerna, including Sales, Onboarding, Account Management, Customer Support, Project Management, RevOps, and Knowledge Team.

Improved client churn from > 4% to 2.5%.
NRR 12-month rolling was 74%, and 3-month rolling was 94.55%.
Oversaw and managed a sales team that exceeded the quarterly quota by 5%.
Exceeded forecast goal by 16% in FY 2021
Jointly launched training program and revolutionized sales team through MEDDIC and Value Selling methodologies which drove Revenue by 35%.

Head of SMB & Mid-Market

Strategically led 6 successful acquisitions from close to fully integrated with scalable and repeatable 100-day plans through all business workstreams.

Aligned metrics, tools, and processes to level up Akerna Corp by taking best-in-class methodologies to streamline all organizational motions through influence.

Decreased spending by over $100K annually throughout the 6 acquisitions while increasing revenue through cross-selling motions by over $120K annually.

Director of Integrations (M&A)

Coached and mentored an 8-member +/- sales team to grow global revenue by 150%
Implemented Strategic Account Management program, which led to an increase in $X.XM ARR.
Spearheaded partnerships resulting in additional ARR in the first year.
Ran and coached all reps via 1-on-1s, pipeline inspection, and role-playing exercises.

Director of Sales & RevOps

Responsible for high visibility and must-do projects for Akerna to obtain substantial growth.

Sr. Project Manager

Arrow Electronics

Responsible for high visibility and must-do product updates for Arrow Digital to obtain substantial 2018 Growth – including Azure Migration, Frontend Re-Architecture, expansion of a Chinese Arrow site, and the program of Page Load Performance.

Product Manager

Ball Corporation

Collaborate with various internal departments to ensure releases are incorporated into the most mature, gold-standard JD Edwards production system across the entire organization. Coordinate projects to create a seamless design and ensure on-time and on-budget delivery.

DevOps Release Manager

Sogeti

As a consultant, acted as Scrum Master, Project Manager, and Business Analyst - Collaborated with Sales and Project Team, consult on client calls and meetings to establish customer relations and communicate customer delivery needs in accordance with expectations and requirements.

Consultant

As a Consultant; developed in Java in an Agile environment and migrated between multiple testing environments. As Project Analyst; collaborated with PMO Team in a mixed-methodology system of Agile and Waterfall.

WANT A PROVEN SYSTEM TO GROW REVENUE? 

I'm all about B2B, SaaS, DTC, Ecomm, and H2H (human to human).....

🔴 FUN-FACT 1: Your company could be making more money but..
🔴 FUN-FACT 2: You don't have the skills and haven't hired the right person to grow it. 


▶️THE PROVEN REVENUE GROWING BUSINESS SYSTEM◀️
My coaching has helped a dozen+ businesses to:

✅ 3x revenue. 
✅ Slash unnecessary operational expenses. 
✅ Achieve revenue objectives

▶️HOW I GET RESULTS◀️
I have a proven framework to help you figure out your GTM strategy.

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔’𝐑𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘, 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 2 𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 I 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔:
1️⃣ - DM me personally. I'm happy to chat about where you are at.
2️⃣ - Learn more about me and how I can help you at my website >> ianblock.com

Ian Block

HUEMOR®

At Huemor we build memorable websites for brands like yours that earn more customers, outshine competitors, and help recruit top talent.

After a website redesign, our clients typically experience:
+ 83% monthly website visits
+ 94% increased conversions
+ 91% leads generated

📞𝙉𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥? 🗓
If you need help improving your current website, building a new one, or generating more organic traffic, we'd love to talk about it.

Get in touch by either...
Messaging me here on LinkedIn
Booking a free strategy session: https://bit.ly/42RPJLl

Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer

Red August

At Red August, we create high-converting landing pages and marketing funnels for entrepreneurs and small business owners that turn audiences into paying customers.

After working with us, our clients typically experience:

✅ Higher lead generation rates
✅ Increased sales conversions
✅ More time to focus on growing their personal brand

📞𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀? 🗓

If your landing page or sales funnel isn’t driving the results you need, let’s fix that.

Get in touch by either:

A. Messaging me here on LinkedIn

B. Booking a free strategy session: https://redaugustconsulting.com/contact/

Founder & CEO

CMO & Founder @ Huemor ⟡ B2B websites that outsell the competition ⟡ 93% more website leads & ZERO extra AD spend ↴ [DM me so HUE can learn MOR]

Huemor builds memorable websites that sell for brands like 23andMe, Boston Dynamics, Live Nation, Revlon, and The United Nations.

Book a call with me to:
✅ Generate more qualified leads
✅ Make your website a breeze to update
✅ Become the industry leader in your niche

Don't believe me? Here's what our clients have to say 👇

“Something I found most unique about Huemor is how much they care [about] the success of the project. The site is a lot cleaner and shows a very in-depth narrative of our story.”

Jenny Lee, Creative Director at BetterCloud

---

The Huemor team has that impossible combination of genuine creativity and professionalism that turns every project they work on into a success. They do truly amazing work that is unique to each client and their market. Partnering with Huemor is the best decision a company can make. Great team doing great work.

Ed Deaton, VP of Marketing at SurePoint

---

“Our project manager was always readily available to address feedback with his team, and made sure that all parties understood their deliverables and deadlines. From a technical standpoint, we have already seen our search rankings increase and overall improvements to the website's usability.”

Lisa Turnbull, Head of Global Marketing at Encompaas

---

Getting the nuances of messaging, design, and technology right is no easy task.

To produce the right outcomes, you need a partner you can trust.

An expert who can guide you to the right strategy, take charge of the process, and deliver a website that your customers will love.

After a website redesign, our clients typically experience:
+ 83% monthly website visits
+ 94% increased conversions
+ 91% leads generated

---

ARE YOU READY TO BE BETTER THAN "GOOD ENOUGH"?

You've built an amazing business—don't settle for a below-average website. It's time to build something better.

APPLY FOR A FREE WEBSITE ANALYSIS

With a free analysis, you'll receive 100+ personalized, actionable tips that cover:
– UI/UX Improvements
– Copywriting Improvements
– ADA Compliance Issues
– SEO Improvements
– Speed & Performance Improvements
– And dozens more helpful tips

Apply here:
👉  https://bit.ly/4bFhdrF
(or click the link in my featured section)

Jeff Gapinski

Since when did clean formatting = AI?
Em dashes and bullet points aren’t crimes

Lately, there’s this weird pressure to strip out em dashes, add in spelling mistakes, or avoid clean formatting just to prove a human wrote it.

That’s a problem.

Writers shouldn’t have to unlearn clarity, remove helpful structure, or rethink their voice just to avoid the “sounds like AI” label.

Em dashes aren’t the enemy. Neither are H2s, bulleted lists, or smart, scannable sentences.

They’re tools. And they’ve been part of good writing long before the internet decided to play detective.

If your writing is clear, well-paced, and useful, then it’s doing its job. Whether or not someone assumes it came from a human, a machine, or a little of both.

---

Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this.

♻️ Share this with someone stressing over “AI-sounding” writing.

CMO & Founder @ Huemor ⟡ We build memorable websites for construction, engineering, manufacturing, and technology companies ⟡ [DM “Review” For A Free Website Review]

Outdated SEO is costing you more than clicks.
Learn the must-know terms to win with ChatGPT, Gemini, and beyond.

Search isn’t just about Google anymore.

It’s about answer engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. These tools don’t just rank content. They summarize it, surface it, and speak it aloud.

If your content doesn’t speak their language, you're not just missing clicks. You're missing entire conversations.

LLMs care less about keywords and more about clarity.

Less about stuffing and more about structure.

They want context, authority, and clean, human-friendly copy they can actually use, not just crawl.

If your site content still reads like it's from 2015, now's the time to evolve.

We broke down the must-know terms behind LLM-friendly SEO and what they actually mean in a way both humans and bots will appreciate.

---

Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this.

♻️ Share with someone whose content isn’t AI-ready.

Talk SEO to Me: The LLM Edition

The design? Gorgeous. 
The message? Still loading.

There’s a special place in digital limbo for B2B websites that make great companies look forgettable.

You know the ones. Shiny on the surface, but directionless underneath. The kind of site where users scroll, squint, and still have no clue what you 
actually do.

If your site is more confusing than convincing, you might be guilty of one (or more) of these:

→ Vague Messaging
→ Slow Load Times
→ Visual Clutter
→ Weak CTAs
→ Boring Above-the-Fold
→ Mobile Neglect
→ No Clear Value Prop

Every one of these sins is fixable. But only if you stop treating your website like a digital checkbox and start treating it like your most valuable sales tool.

You built something great. Let’s make sure your website actually reflects that.

---

Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this.

♻️ Share to help someone turn their site into a sales tool.

The 7 Deadly Sins of B2B Web Design (And How to Repent)

Growth isn’t always graceful. 
Sometimes it looks like falling flat on your face.

Being willing to be embarrassed might be the most underrated leadership skill you’ll ever build.

Everyone talks about growth.

Crushing goals. Leveling up. 
Becoming “1% better every day.”

But here’s the real math:

You don’t get better without getting uncomfortable. And sometimes that means looking a little ridiculous.

That fumbled presentation? Growth.

Launching before you're ready? Growth.

Saying "I don’t know" in a room full of people who expect you to? Definitely growth.

The leaders who grow the fastest aren’t the ones avoiding embarrassment.

They’re the ones who are willing to trip in public and keep moving.

While others chase perfection, they collect progress.

Because the truth is, no one ever changed the game by playing it safe.

Growth begins where comfort ends.

And yes, sometimes that includes a red face and 
a bad idea.

But it’s also where breakthroughs happen. Where new skills are forged. And where leadership stops being performative and starts being real.

So the next time you hesitate because it might be awkward, risky, or imperfect…

That might be the exact moment to lean in.

---

Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this.

♻️ Share this with someone who needs the nudge to stumble forward.

If everything’s on fire, nothing gets rescued.
At this point, even the smoke alarm’s hitting snooze. 

Urgency inflation is real, and your team’s over it.

We’ve all seen it.

That “𝘩𝘦𝘺, 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨” Slack at 5:17pm.

That “𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘚𝘈𝘗” project with no brief.

That “𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸”... three weeks later.

False urgency is the office equivalent of yelling “fire” in a Zoom meeting: loud, unnecessary, and mostly just makes people panic and close tabs.

Here’s what 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 happens when you lead with urgency instead of clarity:

❌ Decision fatigue skyrockets
❌ Trust tanks
❌ Your A-players quietly update their résumés

Great leaders know the difference between a 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 and just forgetting to turn on the stove.

So, how do strong leaders create urgency 
𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘴?

Real leadership looks like this:

𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁.
Urgency should be earned, not assumed. Rank tasks by impact and consequence,
not by who panics the loudest.

𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.
Stress is not a strategy. Just because something feels urgent doesn’t mean it is. Ask yourself what happens if this doesn’t get done today.

𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺.
Collaboration builds ownership. Dictation builds resentment. Set timelines together to ensure alignment and buy-in.

𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁.
People move faster and smarter when they know why something matters. A clear brief is worth more than a dozen “quick syncs.”

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁.
Because it is. Interruptions are expensive. Treat your team’s focus as the limited resource it is.

Want better execution? Be a better planner.

Want to scale trust? Kill the “drop everything” culture.

Want fewer “quick check-ins”? Send better briefs.

Your team isn’t lazy. They’re just tired of playing calendar Tetris with faux emergencies.

Let’s put the 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 culture to rest.

---

Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this.

♻️ Share with a leader juggling unnecessary urgent tasks.

Work-life balance isn’t a perk.
It’s a prerequisite.

Because if not? There's burnout. 

And burnout doesn’t wear a name tag.

It shows up quietly.  Looks like “just tired.” And sounds a lot like, “𝘕𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵!”

When your team’s running on fumes, even “simple” projects start to feel heavy.

The work slows. The spark fades.

And that tight-knit crew you’ve built?

They start drifting from "we’ve got this" to “we're barely holding it together.”

→ We’ve seen it.
→ We’ve felt it.
→ We’ve fixed it.

Because the truth is, high-performing teams aren’t fueled by pressure.

They’re powered by clarity, space, and leadership that knows when to 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦, not just when to 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩.

What we’ve learned at Huemor:

→ Late-night Slack replies don’t earn gold stars
→ PTO means off, not “just checking one thing”
→ Scope creep gets called out early.
→ Mental energy is tracked like time
→ No manufactured urgency allowed

Burnout doesn’t mean your team’s broken.

But ignoring it? That might.

If you’re chasing great work (and not just more work), start here:

Respect energy. Protect focus. Normalize recharge.

---

Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this.

♻️ Share with anyone who forgets rest is part of the job.

Ah yes, the almighty Algorithm.
Mysterious. Possibly sentient. Definitely petty.

Every week someone posts, “Anyone else notice LinkedIn’s algorithm is acting weird?”

And every week the algorithm shrugs and shows that post to 20,000 people.

Cue the overcorrections:

 → "Let’s pivot to carousels."
 → "No wait, videos."
 → "Scratch that. Thought leadership in lowercase tweets with no punctuation."

Here’s the thing:

You don’t need to pivot every time your post flops.

But you also shouldn’t cling to what used to work like it’s your high school mixtape.

The algorithm changes. People change. Your content? Should evolve, but not spiral.

Here’s when a pivot makes sense:

→ You’re saying the same thing, and even you’re bored

→ Your posts are disappearing like socks in a dryer

→ You’re growing, but your content still sounds like it’s stuck in 2021

→ You’ve been “posting consistently” but… nothing’s landing

And here’s when it doesn’t:

→ You had one bad week

→ You saw someone else go viral and now you want to copy them

→ You think changing fonts will fix your content

→ You’re panicking instead of being patient

Sometimes the smartest move isn’t a new strategy.

It’s just sticking with the one that’s working long enough to let it work.

The algorithm isn’t asking for reinvention. It’s asking for relevance.

So pivot when it’s time.

Tweak when it’s smart.

And post like a real person, always.

---

Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this.

♻️ Share this to help someone else who's feeling like Chandler.

Is your marketing strategy stuck 
in the awareness phase? 
Here's how to level up ↓

Marketing is a multi-layered, evolving landscape, where strategies grow and shift depending on where your brand is, and where you want to go. 

Let's break down the levels:

→ The Basics - Building Awareness
→ The Next Level - Engagement
→ Conversion - Turning Talk Into Action
→ Retention - Keeping Them Coming Back
→ Advocacy - The Final Frontier

As your marketing evolves, so should your strategy. 

The key to success? 

Understanding where you are in the journey and tailoring your approach accordingly.

---

Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this.

♻️ Share with anyone trying to evolve their marketing strategy.

Thanksgiving Status: Logged Out, Full, Slightly Regretful

This week’s agenda:

 → Ignore email
 → Eat questionable amounts of carbs
 → Pretend I'm not already thinking about Q1

To the clients: we appreciate you

To the teammates: get off Slack

To bounce rates, bugs, and browser testing: 
not this week

---

Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this.

♻️ Share with someone ready to log off and recharge.

Here’s a little secret: 
Emotions matter in B2B marketing. 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that B2B decisions are purely logical. 

After all, businesses are run by data-driven professionals, right? But here’s the thing: 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 are still the ones making those decisions. 

And people? They 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭.

The most effective B2B marketing doesn’t just show what you do. It connects with people 
on an emotional level. 

Here’s how you can make emotions a part of your 
B2B strategy:

𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 > 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆
Rather than just focusing on what your product does, show that you understand the challenges your audience faces. People want to know you get them.

𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Speak to the bigger picture. How does your product or service improve their life or business? It’s about the outcome, not just the process.

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Customers want to feel like they’re making the right choice. Help them visualize the success they’ll achieve by choosing you. Show them that you’re in it for the long haul, because you're there to help them succeed.

Marketing isn't just about making a sale; it’s about building trust, understanding, and creating a lasting relationship. 

When you appeal to your customer’s emotions, trust follows.

---

Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this.

♻️ Share with a team learning to build emotional trust in their marketing.

taplio

The Battle

Ian Block

Jeff Gapinski

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreJeff Gapinski's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Ian Block

Jeff Gapinski

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jeff Gapinski's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJeff Gapinski's LinkedIn Performance